Power and Consequence

Power and consequence are often closely related. The basic principle is that
a person with power has the ability to create consequences for the target
person, who takes these consequences into account when they are deciding whether
to comply with a request or refuse it.

Punishment

A very common attribute of power is that the wielder of power has the ability
to coerce the target into compliance through the threat of some kind of
punishment. The basic transaction is hence 'Do as I say or else I will harm you
in some way'. The person is then faced with the choice of obedience or suffering
the consequences that the powerful person can create.

Punishment can take many forms. In a business setting it can be as direct as
being sacked or less obvious in the way that the target person may be given work
that is less desirable than that they might get if they complied with the
request.

Prevention

Some people do not have the power to directly punish, though they may have
the ability to withhold something or prevent the target person getting what they
want. The transaction here is 'Do as I say or else you will not get what you
want'.

Prevention in business situations could be loss of cooperation or stopping
the person from getting promoted. It is also seen in 'gateway' roles, for
example a personal assistant who has the power to allow others to speak with
their manager or turning the target person away.

Power loss

There is also consequence for the person wielding the power. Sometimes use
power of power leads to gaining more power as the dominated person becomes cowed
and hence easier to persuade in future. Sometimes the use of power has no effect
on the balance of power in the future. And sometimes there is negative
consequences for the person using the power, in that in using power it is spent,
like money, and may not be easy to regain.

An example of losing power when it is used is where you have helped a person
in the past and they feel obliged
to comply when you ask something of them in return. When they agree to your
request, they then feel the obligation has been discharged and hence you have
less power over them.

So what?

Understand what ability you have when attempting to wield power, particularly
in terms of how you can punish or prevent the other person from getting what
they want. When we forget this, we may not have in practice the full power we
could have. When we can create consequences and the other person does not, then
there may need to be a learning cycle for them.

Also understand how your power is increased or decreased when you use it.
This may depend on your attitude and that of the other person, and is not always
clear.